Fatal mistake
by LoneWolfGarm
Summary: AU Story! Eli, Maki and Nico are a group of assassins, cleaning the world from people who don't deserve to live. But what will happen if they get a mission with way more behind it than a simple assassination? / NozoEli as mainpairing and some other pairings too (MakiNico obviously too). / Rated M for blood, violence and sexual content (later chapters)
1. Prolog

**Author's note (rant):  
** Hey there again! After rewatching Noir and rereading some fanfics from Noir I got somehow stuck with this whole Love Live! X Assassination idea... well, in my opinion the BiBi girls are really cut out for a "cute" assassination squad xD And since right now I'm totally lost in my NozoEli fandom they had to be the mainpairing of my story... but don't worry, the other couples will make appearances too! And obviously our BiBi squad got MakiNico as a pairing too, lol.

So without further ado I hope you have fun while reading my story! And don't worry, I'm still working on my NozoEli angsty oneshot!

* * *

"No matter what, find that blonde bitch!" A man shouted and two others scrambled around, carrying their MP7 on high alert.

A few meters away hidden under a car laid a young woman, her breath shallow so she would stay hidden. The fabric of her blouse was torn in a few places and a patch on her right shoulder was already staining red.

She hissed as she touched her wound to see how deep the knife penetrated her, but it seemed like it looked worse than it actually has been.

'Stupid bastards! Last time we checked his bodyguards they didn't wear any bullet-proof wests and only small arms, not these damn submachine guns! Screw that! Somebody must have told him that he was targeted... I only hope Nico and Maki are okay' The blonde woman thought, waiting 'till the group moved pass her spot and entered a nearby building.

'Time to get the hell out of here! At least I killed him and hopefully the others got the other target...' Crawling out from under the car she sprinted over to a wall, trying to leave the property without facing any other armed groups.

Hiding in the shadows she recalled the scene from a few minutes before; she had tried to surprise her victim but in fact it was her who had been surprised when he openly welcomed her after sneaking through the door.

In an exchange of fire with his bodyguards the blonde russian was able to kill the target with a clean headshot, but just as she was about to escape one of them threw a knife after her, which sucessfully pierced through the skin of her shoulder, making it way harder to escape her followers.

Crouching near the wall she tried to remember the map of the property and if she recalled correctly, the building in front of her was a garage. Hastily moving to the door she opened it and slid through the crack, her back crashing against the now closed door.

Her mind drifted back to her two partners but there was nothing she could do for now; going back into the building while being injured was suicide and wouldn't help them one bit. So for now, retreat was her only option.

Luckily one of the cars was unlocked and after a little bit fumbling it was sucessfully hot-wired. To her own safety she drove with lights out and only when she was a few hundred meters away from the buildings, she turned the lights on and the vehicle's engine roared when she hit the 100.

* * *

In order to cover her tracks she left the car at the suburb of Sakura, hiding her Beretta 92 in her belt under her black top, since she had taken off her blouse so that the red stains wouldn't be that easy to discover.

After a quick glance she made sure that nobody had followed her and disappered in the shadows. Creeping through some side streets so that she would hopefully not encounter any civilians she arrived at their hideout after a good 15 minutes, sighing relieved when she closed the door behind her.

"Finally, there you are Eli! Seriously, Maki and me were so worried that..." The voice of a certain black haired girl made her sigh in relief for a second time, but a sting in her shoulder remembered her that there was still something to fix.

"Yeah thanks Nico-chan, I'm relieved that you guys are alright too, but maybe we can continue our little talk after our doc patched me up, huh?" The blonde joked, hissing something in russian when Maki, the red haired girl, already with some desinfectant in her hands, tried to clean her wound.

"Stay still, seems like I have to stitch that. So tell us, what the hell happened?" Maki asked calmly, dabbing the wound softly before she got to work, needle and thread already in her hands.

"Well, after we split up I made my way up to the second floor, since he always stayed in that one room for the afternoon. I thought that I could maybe sneak through the door, kill him and escape, but as soon as I opened the door his bodyguards already aimed at me. Good thing I could quick- OUCH! Maki, a little bit more carefully okay? Well, I quickly hid behind a couch and after they nearly emptied their first magazine I got a good chance to kill him. Just as I was about to leave through the door, one of those dickheads threw a knife after me." Pausing her story Eli waited for Maki to finish her treatment before she continued.

"I had to hide from them in the yard, since they wore bullet-proof vests it was a lot more difficult to take them out. Luckily I remembered the map so I were able to escape with a car from the garage; I left the car at the suburb and walked the last part." She finished, thankfully accepting a pullover that Nico had brought her to wear.

After she put it on she hummed contently and got up to made tea for them. Filling the kettle with water, she patiently waited for the water to boil while she prepared their cups.

"So tell me, you guys got the other one, right? And you were even faster than me, wow." The blonde observed, since it seems like she made them wait quiet a while.

"Sure thing. We got in, killed him and escaped in like, 10 minutes? But we didn't encounter any of the patrols and the security level was low compared to your case. I'm glad that we could release the world from those bastards, I mean, kidnapping girls to turn them into prostitutes? I'm getting sick when I only think about it..." Nico answered, face turning into disgust as she recalled the reason for their mission.

"Killing itself will never be an easy part for me but when I think about the reasons why we have to kill these guys I'm more convinced that we are doing the right thing" Maki chipped in, laptop on her lap and typing something.

"I will just let our client know that our mission is done so... oh?" The redhead continued but suddenly fell silent.

"What is it Maki?" Nico asked worriedly, catching a small glimpse of the screen over the shoulder of the other girl.

"Oh, a new request?" Upon hearing this Eli got curious, stepped over to the other two and also looked at the computerscreen.

"That payment... are they serious?" The blonde whispered, disbelief written over her face.

 **50 Million Yen** was written in big, black letters on the screen. Receiving such a high payment was a first for the trio. Reading the text Eli's eyes widden in more disbelief.

"The target... it's a girl?" She asked the others, not sure if she had maybe missed a part.

When Maki scrolled down it turned out that what she just read was indeed right; their target was a gorgeous purple haired woman with the most intense green eyes Eli had ever seen.

'Way to go brain! Maybe Nico and Maki's constant flirting is rubbing off on me... Sure, she is a striking beauty, but still a target!' Shaking off her thoughts the russian tried to surpress a groan.

Rereading the text she couldn't oppress the feeling that something didn't add up.

"That girl... framing people so they will end up in jail? She doesn't look like that." The blonde voiced her concerns but Nico just shrugged.

"By now you should know that it's always the innocent looking guys. We can watch her and see if our client is telling the truth." The black haired girl offered and Eli just nodded.

'Nozomi Toujou... I don't know why but it feels like something big will happen. Something that will change our life.' Eli thought before the whistling kettle demanded her attention and she shoved any lingering thoughts about the girl into the back of her head.

* * *

Prolog done! Leave comments if you like!


	2. Chapter 1: Chirping Bird

**Author's note:** Welcome back to my little story! I'm glad that some people are interested in this kind of story and even some are impatiently waiting for the next part xD Sadly I have to work a lot right now and I'm trying to use my spare time as good as I can to continue writing (right now is a big Event in SIF and I want those 2 SR Cards goddamnit lol so I'm wasting much time in SIF, (not) sorry).

Leave a comment if you like and have fun reading!

* * *

After a short night of sleep the group decided it would be for the best to leave their current hideout and switch to another one, just to make sure that noone from their last mission had followed them.

A quick phone call from Maki and 10 minutes later they sat in their car, speeding down the highway into the direction of Yoshikawa, a small town where they had decided to submerge for their next job.

It was common for them to be constantly on the move since it was way more safe if they didn't stay in one place for too long. Only when they took a break from work they would drive the whole way down to Osaka, where they owned a house, something like a holiday home for them.

Gripping the steering wheel tighter Eli tried to shake off her thoughts; it had been over a year now since they went "home" and if she was honest with herself a break would be better for all of them.

Especially for the dorky couple that cuddled together on the rear bench seat of the car since they had nearly no privacy after all with them being on the move most of the time. The blonde knew that their work was hard for their love life and she was determined that after their current job, they would take a well-deserved break.

* * *

Parking their car a few blocks from their new hideout away they took their belonging out of the car and walked over to the adress Maki got from one of their informants. It was quite useful that they never had to look for their next place to stay over for themselves so they could stay anonymous.

After a few minutes they arrived at said address, a side street with a shabby door which was, after Eli tried to open it, locked.

"So... the key?" The russian asked Maki, who was already looking around in the street.

"The informant said that he would hide it in a distributor, let's see." The redhead answered, searching for a box mounted on the wall.

"Maybe that one?" Nico mentioned, walking down the street a few meters where she came to a stop in front of a big, grey box. She opened the cover and after scanning the interior a smug grin was plastered on her face.

"Jackpot!" With the key in her hands she returned to the other two, sliding the key into the hole, sucessfully opening the door.

Moving ahead Nico whistled and after stepping into the floor Eli could fully understand why; despite that the door made it look like they would have to sleep in one of their general sleazy hotels, this time it seemed like that hit indeed a "jackpot".

The floor was of a dark high quality laminate and led to 4 other rooms, two sleeping rooms at which Eli was already wondering why it was so spacious, since they often only had one room for all of them to sleep in, a bath and a living room with an open kitchen. All of the rooms were furnished with expensive looking things.

Astonished the blonde turned around to ask Maki why their hideout looked like some high-class apartment but she had to surpress a growl when she could see her fumbling around with one of red strands.

"So, Maki-chan." Eli grumbled, annoyance clearly shown in her voice which resulted in the redhead shrinking back because the blonde never added -chan to her name.

"Tell me how the heck our hideout turned out to be some... I don't know, some high-class shit? Way more expensive than our common hideouts?" She continued, inspecting one of the sleeping rooms which included a large king sized bed.

"Who the hell cares, Eli. Don't be a bitch and be glad for this arrangement." Nico cut in to defend her girlfriend, moving into the living room to inspect the kitchen.

Eli growled lowly, not satisfied with the answer, before she was pulled into one of the sleeping rooms by Maki.

"Hey, what the...!" The russian cursed, but Maki just shook her head so she kept silent.

"It's my fault, I'm sorry. But you know, our anniversary is just around the corner and it looked like our job would take longer this time, my informant assured me that it's safe here and I will pay it from my share, alright?" The redhead whispered so that Nico wouldn't hear them talk, a slight blush adorning her cheeks.

Her eyes widening in disbelief, Eli raised her hands in defense.

"I'm the one at fault, okay? I didn't know that your anniversary was just around the corner." The blonde whispered back, scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

"So... it's three years then, right?" She asked and Maki could only nod, her blush deepening into a more intense red.

Seeing her blush Eli grinned, moving closer so she could whisper the redhead something into her ear.

"If you want to, you know, 'celebrate' with Nico, just let me know alright? I will see myself out then because I know that you two tend to be loud." Eli whispered into her ear, leaving the stunned girl alone after patting her shoulder to have a look at the bath, hoping that their little conversation has gone by unnoticed by the black haired girl.

Making themselves comfortable they sat down together in the living room, talking about random stuff while Maki was on her laptop, re-reading the details for their mission and keeping contact with their client.

"Three weeks, that's our limit. If we didn't kill her by then he will assign someone else with this job." The redhead told the others, packing away her laptop and stretching a little bit.

"Sounds good, that should be enough time for us to find out if he told the truth about her framing other people and if that is a easy job. I mean, 50 Million Yen? Heck, maybe she has a whole army guarding her home." Nico joked, trying to sound unfazed since all of them were a bit curious why the payment was that high.

"Hm... You know guys, I think I have the perfect idea where we can get that kind of information." Eli announced, grinning mischievously as she stood up, motioning the other two girls to follow her.

"Just change into something you like to wear and where you can hide your weapon easily, you got 5 minutes before we leave." The russian told them before she vanished into her room, Nico and Maki looking after her confused.

* * *

15 minutes later they had left Yoshikawa behind and although the couple annoyed her to tell them where they were going Eli kept her mouth shut, grinning inwardly because she knew that both of them would later thank her for her little surprise.

Mile after mile they came closer to the blondes goal: Tokyo. They had friends in Japan's capital, close friends who would do anything for them, help them relax a little bit and they would especially have information about the green eyed girl that lingered in her mind the whole time.

As they drove down the street Eli manoveured the car through a district with bars and clubs on each side and finally she steered into a parking spot, leaving the car.

The others girls followed her quickly and she could see their smiles when they read the name of their favourite club "A-Rise!".

The queue in front of the club was long as always but the russian walked just pass the waiting people, earning a few angry shouts which she didn't mind one bit, before she stood in front of the doorman who simply nodded approvingly, letting the girls pass.

Upon entering the club loud bass was already hammering through their veins and as soon as Eli heard the voices of the vocalists on the stage she knew exactly who turned the crowd into a screaming mess.

"Erena and Anju are spuring the crowd on as always." Nico mumbled irritated behind her, however her eyes were glued on the two girls dancing on the stage.

"Ouch! What the heck Maki!" The black haired girl hissed, rubbing the spot where her girlfriend just hit her.

"Stop looking at them, baka." Maki grumbled, annoyance clearly shown in her face before she ditched Nico to get a seat at the bar.

The russian could only giggle at their stupid behaviour since it was obvious that the redhead was not honest with herself and took a seat right beside her, looking for the reason why she decided to visit this special bar.

Before she even had the time to througly scan the girls working behind the counter a glass of clear liquid was already placed in front of her while Maki got something slight reddish, fruits pierced on a stick swimming in her drink.

"Long time no see, Eli-chan. Still single, beautiful?" A sultry voice stated and the russian immediatly recognized her.

"Tsubasa! Yep, still single and still not even the slightest interested in you." Eli bit back, laughing when she saw a young brown haired woman grasping her chest, pretending to be hurt badly.

"That hurt you yerk! Well, I'm glad to see you and your girls are still alive, how is work?" Tsubasa asked, her voice emphasized on the word 'work' because she was well aware of what the blonde and her company do for a living.

"Oh well, same as always, but my work right now is the reason for our visit; we are looking for a girl and I thought that maybe my good old friend would have some information for us." The russian admitted, eyes twinkling playfully at the girl behind the counter before she took a sip from her glass. Shuddering as she enjoyed the taste of pure, cold vodka before she put the glass back down.

'Ah, good old russia!'

"Aww flirting with me won't help you since I know that you are not interested but I still owe you something for a lifetime, right? So tell me the name already." Tsubasa countered, looking at her in curiosity.

'Ah right, that little incident with Erena and Anju... although I did say to her that we are quit, geez.' Eli thought, thinking back to a scene not quite a year ago.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _"C'mon Eli! Drinks are on me tonight!" Nico shouted, already her 6th or 7th glass in hand, at some point Eli had just stopped counting and the raven haired girl was old enough to take care of herself after all._

 _"I already told you 'no' for like 100 times. Who do you think has to get your drunken ass back to our apartment? Maybe you should consider to stop drinking too, you know how embarrassed Maki gets when you deceive her into having drunken sex with you." The blonde said coldly, ignoring the redheads deep blush before she turned around, leaving the two alone._

 _Massaging her temples to oppress her aproaching headache she decided it would be for the best to get some fresh air at the rear exit; grabbing a bottle of water she made her way through the dancing crowd on the dance floor, passing the stage and going down a small corridor._

 _At the end was one single door which she pushed open, taking a deep breath of the cold midnight-air before she sat down on a box right beside the door to take a sip from her bottle._

 _"Haah, much better. Nico can be pretty annoying when she is drunk..." The russian whispered to herself, trying to relax a little bit to get a clear head before she had to go back into this scorching hot room full with people and back to her friends._

 _After a few minutes spent in silence she stood up to go back, but something metalic hitting the ground and echoching in the street alerted her senses._

 _Pulling out her Beretta 92 from her belt she inched closer to a corner, hearing low voices getting clearer the closer she got._

 _"...fooling around with us would be more fun, don't ya agree?" Eli could hear a voice slurring, definitly the voice of a man if she had to guess._

 _Looking around the corner she saw three men surrounding two girls, one with dark purple hair who stood in front of a auburn haired girl sitting on the ground, cowering behind the other girl._

 _"Get away you filthy scum! Don't you even dare to touch her!" The taller one with purple hair hissed, shielding the other girl with her body so they couldn't touch her._

 _"Shut up ya freakin' lez! I will show ya." As the guy who spoke started to unbuckle his jeans Eli didn't hesistate for a second and shot him straight through his left knee._

 _"GODAMNIT WHAT THE-!" Falling forward he screamed in agony while his friends turned around, one of them drawing a knife but the russian quickly closed the distance and disarmed him in one fluid motion, gripping the neck of the man to let her knee crush into his ugly face._

 _A puddle of blood was already forming under the wounded man who was still screaming and rolling around on the muddy ground while Eli dropped the other one on the floor before she turned to the last one._

 _"If I ever see you near these girls again I will make sure that all of you will catch a bullet where nobody can help you anymore, okay?" She spit, motioning for the girls to get up and follow her back into the club, not losing one single thought about the men anymore._

 _After the blonde closed the door behind them she took a deep breath before she glanced at the two girls she just saved._

 _"So...do you mind to tell me what the heck you two were doing alone in that dark alley?" Eli asked softly since she didn't want the girls to think that she was angry about what just had happened._

 _"W-well..." The auburn haired girl spoke lowly, her hands gripping tightly into the taller girls top and Eli knew immediatly what was going on when she tried to hide her blush in the other girls neck._

 _"N-nevermind, I don't want to know. But next time make sure to do something like that in a place more romantic, alright? And somewhere where no retards can ambush you." The russian mumbled before she decided it would be the best for her to collect her friends and go home._

 _"Wait a second! Let us at least pay you back, we want you to meet someone, okay? My name is Erena and the smaller girl right in my arms is Anju, thank you for saving us." The purple haired girl bowed and thanked her, pulling her along while holding the auburn haired girls hand._

 _They went back to the counter where Eli could see Nico groping her girlfriend in more than one inappropiate place before Erena told her to wait and both of them vanished through a door right behind the counter._

 _It only took a few seconds before a small girl with a slightly big forehead crushed through the door, looking around for someone while Erena and Anju stumbled behind her, trying to catch up._

 _"So you are the one who saved my girls? I can't thank you enough for that, do you mind telling me your name?" The girl asked kindly, reaching out her hand so Eli could easily take it._

 _"My name is Kira Tsubasa and I'm the owner of this club, if I can help you with anything just tell me and I will be glad to help you since you protected my friends." Tsubasa continued, still offering her hand to the blonde and silently waiting for a reaction from her._

 _Looking at her outstretched hand Eli's first thought was to just turn around and walk away. Telling someone who was a total stranger to her was the stupidest idea she could have as a contract killer, but when she looked up into the flashing green eyes she had the feeling that it was okay to trust someone despite Nico and Maki, just this once._

 _"Eli Ayase and no problem, there was just no way I would leave them alone with those assholes." Gripping her hand tightly with her own she smiled before she looked back at her two partners._

 _"So you own this club, right? Mind helping me to offer us a place for tonight? I don't think its possible to get them back to our apartment on my own." Pointing at the redhead and her girlfriend she grinned when she saw Maki trying to hold her lover back from sliping one of her hands into her jeans._

 _"Sure, Erena and Anju can show them a room where they can sleep and we could talk a little bit more, alright?" The bruenette offered at which the russian just nodded._

 _Eli could still remember that after her friends were brought to bed (she hoped Nico was drunk enough to fall asleep in an instant) she sat down with Tsubasa in a small room behind the counter where they talked about nearly everything; their jobs, love life and about their friends._

 _Somehow the blonde was happy that she could talk about these things with someone other than her partners and Tsubasa even offered her to gather information for her jobs if she wanted since it was easy for her as the ower of a famous bar in Tokyo._

* * *

After their first encounter Eli would often rely on the bruenette for information and the trio were welcomed guests in the bar.

"Hey, you still here or should I go and talk with a wall?" The hurt voice of a certain bruenette snapped her out of her thoughts and Eli hastily excused herself.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something. Seriously, I already told you that we are quit a long time ago but nervermind, I'm looking for a girl. Nozomi Toujou is her name."

"... you are kidding me, right Eli? C'mon, even you must somehow have heard something from her!" Tsubsa was looking at her in disbelief, unsure if she was joking around or just straight honest.

"You know I'm not joking around so just tell me already; if you know her that means she has to be famous somehow." The russian reasoned, wondering why exactly her target subject was famous. Maybe she really was framing other people?

"Alright, Toujou-san inherited a really big heritage from her parents who died in an 'accident'. It is rumored that they were killed by some assassins but the police shrugged it off, claiming it was an accident. At first they accused her of killing her parents but she had a waterproof alibi; she is known to help girls in trouble, like when they get beaten up by her fiances, something like that. But only in the "upper class", if you know what I mean." Tsubasa reported, looking at the stage lost in thoughts.

Taking another sip from her glass Eli tried to process what she just had heared. She had expected anything, but not something like THAT.

Thoughtfully she tried to get the pieces together but somehow she couldn't get an image of the girl she had to kill especially not when she had to kill her because she framed people.

"Oi! You two! Not on the dancefloor!" Her friend shouted and the blonde couldn't hide her smug grin when she saw Nico and Maki on the dancefloor seperating from each other after the redhead had decided to let her hands wander to places that were meant to be for the bedroom.

"Be merciful with them, they really didn't had time for themself in the last time. How about you let us stay over for tonight? Maybe in different rooms, otherwise I won't be able to sleep." The blone stated before she emptied her glass and strode behind the counter, not waiting for an answer from the bruenette since she already knew they were more than welcome to stay over.

"And tomorrow we will be on the lookout for Toujou-san." Eli whispered to herself, wondering what exactly the next day would had in mind for them.


	3. Chapter 2: Kendou's

**Author's note:** Took me long enough, sorry guys! New job, new home and well. But I'm quite pumped to continue this story and I hope you have fun while reading it!

* * *

A melodious song broke through the silence of the room, causing the blonde russian who was in a deep slumber until now to grumble.

"Stupid alarm, where the heck is- gotcha!" Eli's broken voice was merely a whisper and if she was honest with herself she would have preferred to sleep a little longer. But with a timelimit set for their next target it would be better to move into action as fast as they could.

Reaching for her jeans she quickly gathered her belongings and after a last look into the mirror, just to make sure she was presentable of course, she left the room, her thoughts already drifting to her two partners.

'I hope Nico and Maki are up for a nice, long day of observation. But wait a second... argh, in which room did they sleep again?' Stopping dead in her tracks she eyed the two doors, one on each side, suspiciously as if the doors itself could tell her who currently occupies the room.

Since doors couldn't talk Eli had no other choice than searching for the two girls so she turned to the door on the right and knocked a few times.

When she didn't get a response she tried to open the door and it was indeed unlocked, so she stepped into the scarce lighted room.

"Nico? Maki? Are you guys here?" The blond asked loudly and a grin spread on her face when she could see two figurines moving hidden under a blanket on the bed.

"Oi, get up! We got a job to do, remember? Not my fault that you guys decided to use your precious sleeping time to go at it like rabbits the whole night" She teased, moving closer so that she could embarass them further with pulling down their blanket but she froze in her place when she heard a voice that was neither Nicos or Makis.

"Going at it like rabbits? I think you got the wrong couple, Ayase-san." Erena's cold voice snapped at her, and it was indeed the purple haired young woman who straightend up from the bed, her auburn haired lover held protectivly in her embrace.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry Erena-chan! Seems like I got the wrong room so...uhm, excuse me!" Eli stuttered before she turned around and fled from the awkward situation, slamming the door shut behind her.

Trying to calm down her hammering heart she leaned on the door, a blush evident on her face.

'Great, Tsubasa will kill me if Erena tells her what happened! Guess that means bad luck for today.' Sighing the russian tried to forget the image of the two girls together in bed when she heard a low cry from the room on the other side.

"That voice right now was definitly Nico! Seems like the tide has turned!"

Without hesistation she reached for the door, bursting into the room in an attempt to scold her former partners but as soon as she saw in which action she interrupted them she turned around, trying to erase the images in her brain for a second time this morning.

"C'mon you guys can't be serious! Did you even sleep a single minute this night? And Maki please stand up, I think I will never forget your face between..." Eli ranted in a high pitched voice but was soon interupted by a rather angry red haired girl.

"Stop it, alright? How about you knock on the door next time? The great Ayase doesn't even know the first rule of courtesy, huh?" Maki disrupted her, voice thick with anger because the russian dared to interfere in her first night alone with her lover since a whole month.

"Okay, timeout you two! Maki babe, you know that Eli doesn't mean to harm us, right?" Nico stepped in, pulling her girlfriend against her body and placing featherlight kisses on her shoulder in an attempt to calm her down.

During their interaction the blonde didn't dare to turn around because she was sure that she wouldn't be able to take another naked image of the couple, so she silently waited until she could hear the voice of the raven haired girl once more.

"Look Eli, I know that our work is important and that especially this time we have to work a little harder, but I'm sure you understand that we miss having time for each other. Maybe today, you can...?" Nico tried to explain but soon enough the russian's gentle voice cut in.

"Yeah sure, gotcha. But only for today, alright? I'm going to observe her house, maybe find out if she prefers some places. Tomorrow you two are going to help me no matter what." Eli declared and without waiting for an answer left the room and shut the door behind her.

She was certain that as soon as the door was closed she could hear another low cry from Nico so she hastily made her way out of the club to put her plans into practice.

On her way out she met Tsubasa and told her that she would come back later to pick up her friends at which said girl just knowingly grinned and nodded.

"Good luck with Toujou-san out there!" Tsubasa shouted at which Eli just sighed because she wasn't sure where she should even start to look out for their target.

'Maybe it would be for the best if I take a quick look at her home and if she is isn't there I will grab a coffee in a nearby shop. Jep, sound's like a good plan.' Nodding approvingly at her idea she covered the short distance to their car and as soon as the engine roared a familiar feeling of thrill settled down in her body.

* * *

Three young woman were standing in front of a door leading to a huge mansion, one of them with purple hair was wearing the costume of a shrine priestress while the other two girls, one with dark blue hair and one with short orange hair, wore plain black suits.

The shrine priestress lifted her hand and knocked loudly at the door for three times before the group patiently waited.

"Nozomi, are you sure that her husband actually got on his plane? I can't shake off this creeping feeling that something doesn't seem quite right." The blue haired girl hissed through her clenched teeth, eyeing her surroundings suspicously.

"Hai hai, calm down Umi-chan. No need to worry, Inoue-san assured me that he got on it in time. We just need to hurry up and get her out of here before one of his fellows decides to check on her. Rin-chan, you made an appointment with our contact member in Germany, right?" The purple haired girl calmly answered before she looked at the short haired girl on her other side.

" You bet, nyaaa~! He will make sure that everything is going according to our plan and that she will arrive in the US safely." Rin-chan, the girl with the short orange hair, replied enthusiasticly while she also looked around for movements.

The three of them could hear approaching steps from behind the door and a few seconds later it swung open, revealing a small young girl that maybe just recently had hit her adulthood.

Looking anxiously at the group she motioned them to follow her into the house, her pace getting quicker which caused her nearly to stumble upon her own feet.

"Inoue-san, what's wrong?" Nozomi asked her alarmed, sucessfully stopping the girl right in her tracks. As soon as she turned around, her face pale with red eyes swollen from crying, it was clear that something was wrong.

"I-I don't know if he somehow catched on on our plans but Ronin is on his way to p-pick me up and escort me to a meeting." The girl whispered and as soon as the bluenette heard the name "Ronin", she visibly tensed up.

"Ronin?! Are you serious?! Nozomi, you know what..."

"Yeah, I know. Let's hurry up and get out of here." Nozomi simply answered, her voice and face full of worry.

'If they are sending Ronin that means they are well aware of our actions and plans... we are playing at high stakes but... there's no way to back out now. Seems like we have to settle down for a little bit after this task.' She pondered, following Inoue to her bedroom where already a packed up case stood.

"Rin-chan please take her luggage, we will leave through the backdoor with Umi-chan going on ahead, just to make sure we won't encounter any...problems."

"Understood!" Both of them replied immediately and the bluenette already went way ahead of the group, checking out if there were already other cars in the parking lot.

Luckily the only car there was still their black SUV and after Rin had stowed the luggage and everyone sat down on their seat and fastened the seatbelts, Umi navigated the car on the highway, confidently speeding down the street in the direction of the airport.

As soon as the car came to a stop in front of the large building, the two girls in the suits jumped out of the car, Rin carrying the luggage on her back while Umi dragged the girl into the departure lounge with Nozomi moving quickly alongside her.

When they reached the terminal the bluenette losened her grip on the girl and her short haired companion placed the luggage in front of Inoue before both of them nodded at Nozomi quickly and left the two of them alone to keep an eye on the entrance, just in case someone had followed them.

Rummaging through her robe the purple haired woman pulled out a envelope which she handed the girl with an encouraging smile.

"Make sure that you won't lose this envelope because it contains your tickets, cash and some other things that are necessary for your escape. As soon as you land in Germany follow the instructions to meet up with our contact member because he will be the one to get you over to the US." Nozomi gently said, trying to calm down her counterpart because she was visibly shaking with tears in her eyes.

"Toujou-san, I-I can't express in words how grateful I am for your help. I just hope everything is going to be alright, if they find me then..." Inoue whispered, her voice nearly doubling over in fear.

Nozomi simply shook her head and pulled the girl into a short embrace to reassure her.

"They are not going to find you, I promise. I'm in contact with the other girls and all of them are happy with their new freedom and life, none of them had heard a single word from the organisation until now." She convinced her, reaching for the case on the ground and handing it over to the girl.

"You have to go now or you will miss your flight or even worse, they will... Nevermind, just go and leave the bad memories behind." Giving her one last smile the purple haired girl turned around and started to walk into the direction of the exit, but Inoue's last question made her stop in an instant.

"Say, Toujou-san, why are you helping us?" The young girl demanded to know, but as soon as she saw the hurt expression on the older girls face she knew she had overstepped a limit.

"I-I'm sorry! Thank you for everything, I will go now!" Without waiting for an answer the young girl left her spot and quickly moved over to the desk to check in.

Sighing Nozomi swiftly left the building and got in the driven up SUV where she was sorrowful examined by her two companions through the rearview.

"I think it's time for a cup of tea, don't you two agree? Let's head over to Kendou's." Trying to ignore the piercing gazes she looked out of the window at the passing scenery, smiling when she heard the bluenettes huff.

"Tea? At this time? Are you serious?" Umi demanded to know, shooting her an angry glance before she looked back on the street since right now Tokyo's streets were full with other cars.

"Oh Umi-chan, you know I'm always serious when it comes to tea! Don't you agree Rin-chan?"

"Tea sounds good, nyaaa~!"

"Seriously, why do I always have to be the reasonable one here?"

Regardless of her own opinion the bluenette followed Nozomis wish and made a left turn on the next crossroads, coming closer to their goal, a small shop in their neighborhood called Kendou's.

* * *

"Haah, seems like a bad day for me. First this whole messup this morning and now I'm already observing her house for...god, it's already 5 pm?! That's it, I need a coffee, NOW!"

Bundling up her gear Eli got back to her car, driving down the street in search of a small shop she saw earlier this day.

"I think it was somewhere around here... oh there it is!"

After pulling her car into the nearly empty parking lot she left it and entered a small shop; right above the entrance was a sign attached to the wall which read in slightly scaly letters "Kendou's".

Right after she stepped into the small shop a lively, ginger haired girl greeted her from her counter before she eagerly continued to wash some dishes.

Eli just nodded at her approvingly before she scurried over to a table in the corner of the shop, a good place from where she could see the parking lot through the shop-window and where she had an overall good view about the entrance and the shop.

As soon as she sat down the ginger haired girl rushed to her table, pad and pen already in her hands and looking expectantly at her.

"I just want a coffee, plain black, thank you." The russian kindly said at which the waitress just nodded, making her way back to the counter to deal with her order.

'Maybe I should just quit for today and go back the others. They should be grateful that I granted them a day off after all.'

Usually Eli wasn't the type for sulking but today was an exception since not one damn single thing went according to her plan.

She sighed and let her eyes roam the small shop with it's old furniture and faded walls, before she looked out of the window and noticed a black SUV parking near her car.

'Such a big parking lot and they have to park right beside my car. It would be better for them if I not see any scratches on my car later.'

Scowling she saw the ginger coming back to her table with a cup in her hands which she put down in front of her with a gentle smile.

"That would be 250¥ madam." Pulling out a 1000¥ note she handed it over and shook her head when she started to look for her change.

"Keep the change, alright?"

"Really? Thank you!"

Eli couldn't suppress a chuckle when the waitress hummed on her way back to the counter but her face froze when she heard her calling out to the new costumers.

"Toujou-sama! I was already wondering when you would turn up!"

She only payed them attention for a second to make sure it was indeed her target that just entered the shop but as soon as she looked into her intense green eyes her brain had a blackout.

'Get your shit together Ayase! You are a professional assassin and she is just a mere target! A goddamn stupid target!'

Swallowing she shook her head to banish her thoughts and after sucessfully counting to ten she opened her eyes again, looking over to the group who had already sat down on a table right in the center of the room.

To Eli the other girls obviously looked a little bit like bodyguards but then again that was something common for people from the upper class, although it was quite uncommon to hire girls for this job.

Sipping at her coffee she decided to eavesdrop on their conversation, maybe she would find out something important today after all.

"The usual stuff, Toujou-sama? A pot of jasmin tea for you and your companions?"

"That would be lovely, Honoka-chan. And didn't I tell you to drop the -sama already?" The purple haired girl dressed in a shrine maiden outfit scolded the waitress amused, obviously used to be called like that.

The bluenette didn't even sit down but went straight to the rest room, her face looking agitated as far as the blond could see.

"Nyaa~, Umi-chan is waaaay too tied up, she needs to calm down sometimes!" The short haired girl exclaimed, her eyes fixated on something on the counter.

"Nozomi-chan, can we have a piece of cake today too?" She asked the purple haired girl, going over to the counter without waiting for an answer.

"Hai, pick something nice Rin-chan, alright?" Eli could see that Toujou-san was pulling out a deck of cards from her pockets but it was impossible for her to identify what cards exactly she used.

Altogether her target seemed friendly and the whole group didn't look like dangerous criminals at all. But then again Eli had learned it the hard way that always the "good" people were way more sick than others.

Leaning back in her seat she sighed when suddenly something was catching her attention.

'Huh? What the heck is this thing on her yukata? Something red... OH SHIT DON'T TELL ME..!'

Without a second thought the blonde jumped out of her seat and sprinted directly over to the purple haired girl. From the corner of her eye she could see the bluenette from before leaving the rest room and going after her, obviously thinking that Eli was going to attack her friend.

Just as she reached Toujou she instantly leaped at the girl, pulling her to the ground a second before she could hear bullets bursting through the shop window and hammering into the wooden walls of the small shop.

* * *

Author's note: I love cliffhangers! xD Ah well, nope I hate them lol. First time I'm switching between POV's but I think this will make my story way more interesting. See ya all in the next part!


	4. Chapter 3: Nothing more to lose

Long time no see, I guess xD Sorry guys I'm reeeeeally busy right now and yeah... but thanks to the people who still follow me and my story, I'm trying to keep up my work so that you guys have fun while reading my story! See ya in the next chapter!

* * *

 _Just as she reached Toujou she instantly leaped at the girl, pulling her to the ground a second before she could hear bullets bursting through the shop-window and hammering into the wooden walls of the small shop._

A wave of agony hit Eli as soon as she tried to move her body, her gaze unfocused and the only thing she could see were strands of purple hair.

Her attempt to get up was in vain and she hissed when she could feel a warm liquid running down her back, recalling the accident from her last task.

'Fucking great, getting stabbed in the back is one thing, but catching a bullet because I decided to play a human shield for our target... hell, Maki will kill me.'

Holding herself up with her uninjured left arm she rolled onto her back, nearly passing out from the pain when her shoulder hit the ground; gritting her teeth she had to admit to herself that in her condition it was impossible to get out of the shop on her own.

A hand grabbing at her collar pulled her out of her train of thoughts and she couldn't surpress a cry when she was roughly pulled forward, a angry looking bluenette looking down at her.

"What the hell were you thinking?! Who are you and why the fuck would you..." She spat, her grip thightening with her knuckles already turning white while Eli was feverishly searching for a believable lie.

"I.. uhm... w-well you know..." "Stop stammering around and answer me!"

With each passing moment the bluenette seemed to get angrier and when the russian kept silent she slammed her down on the ground right on her shoulder, causing Eli to scream in pain.

"Oh, did I hurt you? C'mon, get up and I will show you what..." "ENOUGH, UMI!"

Gentle hands were reaching for the blonde, pulling her into a sitting position before she could feel them ghosting over her back, examinating her wound before they guided her own hands around a slender neck.

"Help me to get her on my back, Umi-chan. And I warn you, I don't want to hear one single objection from you this time. Rin-chan, is Honoka-chan alright?"

"She didn't get hit, nyaa~." "I'm okay Toujou-san, thank you! Just a little sore here and there but everything is alright!"

"Glad to hear Honoka-chan, tell me how much you had to pay for the repair on your shop, I will pay all of it because it's my fault for the main part. We have to excuse ourselves now but this woman needs medical treatment quickly."

Nozomi's gentle voice calmed Eli down and without offering resistance she let the blue haired woman called Umi help her to get onto the other girls back, hands gripping firmly into fabric.

"If you really insist on helping her we should drive her to a hospital."

Umi suggested, her voice still laced with a faint tone of hostility. As soon as she said the word "hospital" the russian firmly shook her head, her breath shallow and gripping even thighter into the fabric which didn't go by unnoticed by the purple haired woman.

"No hospital? I don't think we have much of a choice considering the fact that it seems like the bullets are still in your shoulder."

Nozomi voiced out concerned, checking her grip one last time before she stood up, carrying the woman on her back easily out of the shop over to their car.

"I know but please, promise me that you won't bring me to a hospital. I will give you an adress where you can just drop me off, a friend will help me."

Eli tried to persuade her, still hoping that somehow she could get out of this situation without endangering their task or hazarding her partners, but her last spark of hope died when her counterpart shook her head.

"You saved my life, there is just no way I would drop you off somewhere. How about you give your friend my adress and he can treat your wounds in my home; Umi could help him, she is very experienced in handling things like that."

Her voice was firm and sounded like she wouldn't accept any other idea so the russian had no choice but to nod her head in defeat.

When they reached the black SUV Eli was carefully set down before the short haired girl and Nozomi helped her to get into the car. Umi was already sitting in the driver's seat, reaching back and feeling the blonde's pockets for her cellphone.

"There it is, now tell me who I should call to patch you up."

After answering her Eli silently watched the bluenette calling Maki and she just hoped that her friend wouldn't spill some important information during the call.

"Hello? Your friend got kind of hurt and she told us to call you... Yeah, she's blonde...Oh, her name is Eli? Alright, I will send you a mail with an adress, you can come over and fix her up there, alright? Okay, bye!"

Ending the call she could see Umi fumbling with her phone before she handed it over to the other girl, starting the car and shooting her a quick glance through the rearview.

"Your friend said they will come over as fast as they can but she didn't sound very happy."

"Well who would be happy when their friend get's shot, nyaa? Remember that one time when Kotori-chan..."

"Don't bring up that topic again, Rin. Of course I would get angry, Kotori knows that..."

Eli tried her best to keep up with their conversation, but her head hurt like hell and she was shifting in her seat, trying to figure out the best position for her to sit without straining her shoulder.

Growling lowly she gave up because her vision became blurry and she honestly would have been more than happy if she just fainted. In the back of her mind she still tried to figure out why she even jumped in front of her target in the first place but she couldn't grasp one single reasonable answer for her action.

Sure, if Toujou would have been killed by someone else they wouldn't get paid, but risking her life for that? No, it had to be something else which she still needed to figure out.

When she saw the red dot on Toujou's clothing it felt like her whole body moved on instinct, without any rational reason. It felt like the whole incident was _supposed_ to happen...

The russian shrank back when she was suddenly pulled against the purple haired woman.

"You can lean on me if you want so that you don't have to press your back into the seat."

Nozomi offered, pulling her into her arms without waiting for an answer. At first the blonde wanted to reject her, not wanting to show any signs of weakness to her 'enemy', but when she was engulfed in the other woman's warmth, she could feel the tension leaving her body in an instant so she just scooted closer and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment.

* * *

Looking down into the blonde's face Nozomi was relieved when she could see her calming down; to be honest she thought that the woman would put up quite a fight but it seems like her wound was taking its toll.

Studying her face she tried to figure out if something was off with this woman, but Nozomi couldn't remember seeing her somewhere before or someone talking about a woman like her.

Sighing deeply she gently rubbed the girls lower back, trying to get her more relaxed while she let her mind wander; well, of course it was obvious that her savior couldn't have any connection to the Yakuza, they wouldn't dare to let a lowly _woman_ get the satisfaction to kill her.

Nozomi couldn't surpress a shudder when her thoughts drifted back to the day her parents died in an assassination attempt and where she met the man who was after her for the first time.

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _"I'm telling you Mai, you must leave him! You can't tell me you have fallen down the stairs for a second time, you know?! I'm not stupid! This guy has no right to handle you like his freakin' property!"_

 _Nozomi angrily demanded, holding her friend back thightly at her wrist. The purple haired woman had decided to surprise her old friend back from school with a visit since they haven't seen each other often after Nozomi's parents had died in an accident._

 _When her friend opened the door it was impossible for Nozomi to ignore the girls black eye, her swollen and bruised lip or the angry looking red lines around her neck, so she wordlessly closed the door and sat down on the couch in the living room._

 _As soon as Mai had followed and tried to get past her to make some tea she had reached for the girl's arm, no longer able to hold back her feelings; she felt bad for lashing out at her friend but the auburn haired girl looked like a empty shell of her former self which she couldn't bear to watch._

 _Mai was really important to her after all and if she wouldn't have been there for her during her school time, Nozomi was certain that she wouldn't be the person she was right now._

 _Back in school Mai was the only one brave enough to approach her; most of her classmembers avoided her because of her fathers work, being the daughter of a well known politician brought it's benefits in terms of money but sadly it didn't help her making any friends._

 _Her fathers position didn't scare the other girl at all. At first they just exchanged a few words every now and then but soon enough their relationship bloomed into a beautiful friendship and Nozomis parents where thankful that their daughter had finally made a friend._

 _Shopping trips, sleepovers, they would do everything together so naturally the purple haired girl was the first one to know about her best friend being in love._

 _From her meetings with both of them she could tell that Takumi seemed to be a timid and kind guy who visited another school and Nozomi was happy for her friend but soon enough she should learn that apparantly not everything was like it seems._

 _Just after they graduated from school Mai and Takumi had a shotgun wedding to which she was invited and where she should meet '_ him' _for the first time._

 _The evening of the wedding went by in a blur, Mai's and Takumi's whole family was there and many of Takumis friends; the purple haired girl couldn't quite point it out but somehow the whole atmosphere of the ceremony felt heavy and especially the husbands friends would throw her strange glances which she tried to ignore._

 _She was sitting at a table, looking at the dancing couples on the dancefloor, when suddenly a young man appeared beside her._

 _"Good evening, care to have a good time on the dancefloor with me, Toujou-san?" The man asked her niceley, already offering his arm to her with a confident smile. She knew that she was well known because of her fathers work, but being adressed directly was something she would never get used to._

 _Nozomi hated people who where too full of themself, but since she was quite bored she thought that one little dance couldn't hurt. Oh how wrong she would be..._

 _Standing up she took the offered arm and let herself be lead to the dancefloor where her partner pulled her along in a steady rhythm, obviously taking the lead during their dance._

 _When the young man approached her Nozomi wasn't able to see his face properly since the lights were dimmed for the dancefloor, but when she looked up to him she could clearly made out some tattoos on his left face, uncovered through the flickering lights; the second she spotted the tattoos she knew she probably screwed up hard._

 _"So... are you approaching every woman like that?"_

 _The purple haired woman asked him unfazed, trying to hide her nervousness and to figure out to who exactly she was talking. Maybe she was just overreacting after all and everything was fine._

 _She could feel his mischievous grin rather than seeing it before he answered her, his voice laced with mockery and arrogance._

 _"Only woman I have my eyes set on, Toujou-san, and you are quite a throphy to get a hold of if I may add. If I remember correctly, your father had quite a few people depending on him after the last election; some of my acquaintances didn't like that at all."_

 _They moved still to the rythm of the music, but Nozomi couldn't stop herself from getting stiff since her counterpart had obviously approached her on purpose. Trying to regain her composure she reminded herself that they were at **her friends** wedding right now, a dozen of couples dancing around them. He could threat her with words, yes, but what else could he do?_

 _"I don't think we should talk about something like that on my best friends wedding, don't you agree? We gathered today to have fun together and celebrate their bond, not to talk about some stupid politcs."_

 _"Oh of course I'm having fun at my brothers wedding, Toujou-san. My sister-in-law talked so much about you that I had to meet you in person and she was right, you really are a beauty."_

 _His cold voice pierced through the atmosphere and right at this moment the young woman understood that she had messed up badly. She wanted to leave but his grip was firm and as she attempted to escape he casually pressed her closer to his body, his hand on her back roaming down and his face moving closer to her._

 _Now she could see his tattoo clearly, a tribal on the left side of his face leading down to his neck, ending in the head of a dragon; the symbol of Tokyo's Yakuza. As soon as she could feel his breath on her face she tried to slap him, but he caught her arm in mid-air, grinning at her mockingly._

 _"My, my, you are quite a troublemaker, Toujou-san. That wasn't very ladylike, you know? Trying to hit a man who just wanted to show you how much he appreciates you, tsk."_

 _The couples around them didn't notice the incident at all, or rather it seemed like they pretended to see nothing and ignore them. Nozomi could swear his voice turned somehow crazy, her weak attempt to wiggle free from his grip was crushed when he grabbed both of her arms, pinning her down in her spot._

 _He observed her shuddering body with satisfaction, taking a hold of her under her chin to force her to look him in the eye. When he moved his other hand over her back down to her ass it took all of the purple haired womans willpower to not whimper in fear._

 _"Ah, way better. But I have to admit I have a thing for woman who try to defend themself, it is way more fun to break them then those sluts who would do anything if I snap my finger."_

 _Moving his hand back up he found his way under her shirt, sliding up until it hit her bra's clasp; Nozomi was scared stiff, her mind screaming in the back of her head to finally escape but her body didn't obey her._

 _"You know, maybe we should marry too? My family would be happy to have a man like your father with them and honestly, we match each other way too perfectly, don't you agree?"_

 _The casualness of his voice caused this whole situation to appear unreal, and it felt like someone dropped a bucket full of cold water above her when her bra snapped open, a hand dancing along her side to her front. His voice turned into a whisper only she could hear, his next words pushing her at her limit._

 _"It will be my pleasure to break your feeble soul, leaving your body covered in bruises until you know your place; your place is on the floor, kneeling between my legs and sucking my-"_

 _Right then something inside her finally snapped and she stomped down with her heels on his foot, the pain distracting him enough to finally break free._

 _"You little bitch! Yeah, just go and run to Daddy! Sooner or later you will be mine, Toujou! Ronin get's everything that he wants!"_

 _Without turning around she pushed herself through the dancing mass, running out of the building onto the busy street; she could feel Mai's concerned gaze lingering on her but right now she just wanted to get away from that man._

 _Hastily pulling out her smartphone out of her pocket she typed her father's phonenumber with trembling fingers and tried to remain calm when he finally picked up after the 4th ring._

 _"Father? Yes, could you please pick me up from Mai's weeding? H-hai, everything is alright, I'm just tired. I will wait for you in front of the building, alright? Thank you."_

 _When Nozomi ended her call she could feel a heavy weight on her heart while she waited impatiently for her father to pick her up._

… _.but he never came. After waiting for nearly thirty minutes she got a call from the police asking about her whereabouts; they told her that her parents car had crashed into a tree with both of them killed immediately._

 _She got picked up by two policemen and they brought her to a police station to ask her some questions. The purple haired girl was confused because she didn't understand why they would ask **her** since it seemed like they died in an accident, but the policemans next question caught her off guard and a familiar feeling of fear settled down inside her. _

_"So, Toujou-san, where were you around 11 p.m.? It looks like the brakes of your parents car where rigged and that's the reason why they crashed into a tree. We asked the other guests of your friends wedding and everyone said you were already gone around 10 p.m., if there is noone who saw you we have no choice but..."_

 _"Wait! She was with me the whole time!"_

 _Mai was standing in the door, breathing heavily and still wearing her wedding dress. Nozomi was unable to understand the whole situation, it felt like everything around her lay in deep shadows and nothing pierced through the thick wall to reach her._

 _She could bearly remember leaving the station with Mai, who dropped her at her home with Umi and Rin trying to comfort her; for weeks she hid herself into her bedroom and only allowed Mai, and sometimes Umi, to speak with her._

 _Nozomi knew that her friend tried to protect her and had lied to the police because of that. In the beginning she didn't care at all since she was too involved with her parents death, but when Mai's visits got rarer and her friend had wounds turning more badly from visit to visit it pulled her out of her shell._

 _For the purple haired woman it was obvious that the mysterious man called Ronin from Mai's wedding had something to do with her parents death and somehow he even got her best friend involved._

 _When Mai didn't turn up for a visit for two weeks Nozomi called Umi and Rin to drive her to her friends house and now with her friend standing in front of her, covered in bruises and shivering in fear, she could only feel hatred for the man who tried to destroy her life._

 _"Tell me Mai, how long has this been going on? Why don't you just leave him? Go to the police and tell them..."_

 _"I CAN'T! HE WILL JUST KILL ME LIKE RONIN KILLED YOUR PARENTS! THERE IS NO WAY TO ESCAPE THE YAKUZA!"_

 _Mai's sudden outburst startled her, her brain working on a solution while she pulled her crying friend into her arms. Only a few seconds later she stated the most obvious answer to their problem._

 _"I will get you out of Japan; the Yakuza's influence is big, yes, but there is no way they can follow you all the way back into a foreign land with a new name."_

 _"N-no, I can't do that, Nozomi! I can't leave you alone! Ronin will..."_

 _"I know, but we have no choice. There is no way I will let that bastard destroy everything dear to me after he killed my parents. Thanks to you the police knows that someone murdered my parents and that I'm not the culprit. They will keep out an eye for me to protect me and don't forget Umi and Rin, both of them are excellent bodyguards. I need to take him down, do you understand? For the sake of my parents."_

 _Nozomi was determined to teach the Yakuza a lesson and get revenge on Ronin for killing her parents. She would never again allow them to lay hands on a woman like on her best friend._

 _Flashback End  
_

* * *

The purple haired woman was deeply in thought and unaware of the tears running down her face until soft fingers wiped them away. Squinting her eyes she tried to see something through her tears and she was surprised when she could see the woman in her arms looking up to her through half-closed eyes.

It seemed like she was still totally out of it and Nozomi was taken aback when she suddenly pulled her closer and whispered something into her ear before she closed her eyes again, her even breathing hitting her ear leaving behind a confused and flustered Nozomi.

 _"Tears ruin your pretty face and don't worry, I would catch a bullet anytime for you, **Nozomi**."_


	5. Chapter 4: Coming together

**Author's note:** Back again! Well, as you can see my chapters are getting longer and I'm reaching a point were I'm almost satisfied with my writing style. Hope you guys also like it, I'm trying to keep up the good work since it's my first multi-chapter story and we are still at the beginning (as far as I have planned). Leave a comment if you want, I'm glad for any advise! Also thanks to my two beta readers and for everyone who left a comment, getting feedback is what keeps me going!

* * *

 _Hiding behind a corner Eli had already pulled out her Beretta 92 just in case she would encounter some "problems". She couldn't remember where she was or what she was looking for but a oppressive feeling back in her mind told her to keep going._

 _Just as she sneaked closer to a wall she could hear a woman scream, hurrying up she sprinted down a corridor before she saw a young woman kneeling in front of two men, one of them holding a gun to her head._

 _Without wasting another second Eli killed the guy holding the weapon with a clean shot to his heart before she whirled around and aimed for the other man who was already pulling out his own gun. Aiming for his hand she disarmed him before she closed the distance between them, drawing her hidden blade from her boots to throw it right into his throat. The man pulled out the knife on impulse, sinking to the ground while his hands desperately tried to stop the bleeding to no avail._

 _Taking a deep breath the blonde turned around to the woman on the ground, but which each step she made to close the distance the woman scooted away from her until her back hit a wall. Eli could see that she hid her face behind her hands, a soft sobbing echoing through the darkness which filled her heart with pain._

 _Kneeling right in front of her she carefully took her hands in her own, lowering them so she could see into scared green eyes._

 _"It's alright, Nozomi, you are safe now. There is no way I would let them harm you in any way, okay?" Eli assured her, her fingers gently brushing away some of the tears in the purple haired womans face. Somehow it seemed out of place, but the russian couldn't surpress a chuckle when she thought about her next words._

 _"Tears ruin your pretty face and don't worry, I would catch a bullet anytime for you, **Nozomi."**_

* * *

Groaning sleepily Eli tried to get away from whatever was softly pulling at her arm; there was just no way she would give up this warm place she was currently leaning on. But whatever was pulling at her arm was persistent and after a way too strong pull she was immediately aware of her injured shoulder.

"GAH, what the fuck! Are you freakin' kidding me you little...!?" Eli barked, pulling away from the grip to turn around but with no one holding her in her place it was unavoidable in her current state that she fell on her back and right on her wound.

"God fucking damnit!" Eli screamed, her vision already turning blurry again. Couldn't they just leave her alone?!

"I'm sorry, nyaa! But you didn't move one single inch and we need to get you out of the car to treat your wound, so..." A voice near her told her, before she was pulled forward by a pair of strong arms with the help of someone gently pushing her from behind.

"No need to be friendly Rin. That girl should be glad that we will help her, in my opinion...", another voice stated angrily before she was interrupted by someone else.

"Umi, I don't want to repeat myself over and over again, okay? I'm sorry Eli, it's my fault that you fell on your back. Here, take my hand and let me help you to get out of the car. Just slide a little further to the door... Hai, Umi steady her until I'm out of the car so I can carry her into the house."

Nozomi's gentle voice was the only one Eli was right now able to assign to someone, pictures from her dream were coming back at her at fullspeed.

'Just what the heck was this whole dream about...?' The russian thought, her face flushed when she remembered the purple haired woman crying in front of her. Shaking her head she tried to get rid of her thoughts, earning suspicious glances from a certain bluenette.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Got a fever or something like that?" Umi taunted, still trying to provoke her but Eli ignored it; as long as Nozomi somehow trusted her, and as far as she could judge the situation right now she did, it was unnecessary to pick up a fight with one of her bodyguards.

So she just muttered some incomprehensible words to distract the woman from her behaviour, leaning a little more against her.

"What do you think you are doing?! Seriously, you better be glad that Toujou-san is such a kindhearted woman."

The bluenette spat her words at her, but despite her harsh tone she made sure that Eli was standing steady beside her until Nozomi was back to pick her up again.

Checking her grip one last time Nozomi lifted her up and carried her to her house, the same villa that Eli had been secretly checking out the whole morning. Umi was ahead of them while Rin trotted behind, the tomboyish girl whistling some silly melody.

Eli was wondering how both of these girls ended up being Toujou's bodyguards, since both of them were entirely different from each other, when a high pitched voice broke through Rin's whistling.

"Umi-chaaaan, you are finally back! You guys had me and Hanayo-chan worried sick, you know?! We thought that Ronin..."

Raising her head the blonde could see a maid with greyish hair running towards the bluenette, her worried gentle voice replaced by a scream when she stood right beside Umi.

"B-blood? Does it hurt, Umi-chan? Wait a second, alright?" The maid said and Eli could see her pulling out a handkerchief and fumbling at the bluenettes side.

Because of her own injury the russian was occupied with herself since no one of the others showed any signs of injuries, but now that the other woman pointed it out she looked closer and could indeed see that the black suit was soaked with a liquid in certain places.

"It's alright Kotori, it was just a graze shot, nothing important. But we need to..." Umi insisted, trying to get past the woman but a firm grip on her arm pulled her right back and the maids oh so gentle but now angry voice cut her off midsentence.

"Nothing important you say? Are you kidding me? You guys left early this morning telling us you would only be away for two mere hours and now, six not two hours later, you show up and tell me not to worry about you getting shot? You can't be-!"

The next thing that happened caught Eli off guard; Umi pulled the other woman closer to her into a kiss, sucessfully silencing her in the process.

"Here they go again, nyaa~! Toujou-sama, can I go ahead and look for Kayo-chin?" Rin asked behind her and the russian could feel the purple haired woman nodding, at which the tomboyish girl rushed past them into the villa.

"Guess it's just you and me then, Eli. I will bring you upstairs in one of our guestrooms and then we can wait for your friend to show up, alright?" Nozomi noted, moving past the still kissing couple and entering the large hall of the villa.

Going up the stairs Eli couldn't stop herself from looking around in awe. Sure, most of her previous targets have lived in magnificent houses like this one but she had never looked at them this closely before. Besides, most of the time she would attack her targets under cover of the night with guards moving around so she had no time to even look at her surroundings.

"Sorry that I'm asking you so bluntly Eli, but do you even know who I am?" Nozomi's sudden voice pierced through her like a knife, but her job had thought her to handle such situations safely.

"Well, the others called you Toujou-san, so I guess your name is Toujou-san?" Eli responded, trying to sound nonchalant. Why was she even asking this right now?

"I see. So you don't know me? Nothing?" The purple haired woman probbed further, at which the blonde just shook her head.

"No sorry. Me and my friends are here to pay some old friends a visit, we haven't been around Tokyo much lately." Eli explained, which wasn't even a lie; without Tsubasa's help she would have no idea that her counterpart was some rich politicians daughter.

"If you don't know who I am... Please explain why you jumped in front of me."

There it was. That one question that Eli herself wasn't able to find an answer for. Nozomi still sounded friendly, there was no hint of hostility in her voice, but there was a determination behind it that told the russian that she wouldn't let it slip with a simple "I don't know.".

She remained silent, reliving the situation from the shop in her memory again and again. Regardless to her attempts she still couldn't figure out **why** she jumped in the first place and the dream during their car ride just made everything way more complicated.

But there was one thing Eli couldn't deny: That her heart throbbed in pain when she recalled the last scene from her dream, the purple haired woman scooting away from her, her green eyes full of fear.

"I...I just...I don't know."

Trapped deeply in her thoughts the russian couldn't prevent her voice from sounding broken, although she did try to sound confident.

To her surprise Nozomi remained silent while they walked down a corridor, opening a door on her left and carrying the blonde over to a large bed in the middle of the room.

She carefully set her down before she motioned for her to sit down on the bed, at which Eli at first hesistated because she would clearly mess up the white sheets. Sensing her distress the purple haired woman pushed her down on her uninjured shoulder slighlty so she would sit down and then she walked back to the door.

"Make yourself comfortable, I will go and fetch Umi so she can handle your injury, alright? And don't worry about the sheets Eli, we can change them."

Without waiting for an answer Nozomi left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving behind a rather distressed russian woman.

* * *

Closing the door behind her Nozomi couldn't contain herself anymore; her face flushed she let out a deep sigh, fingers running through her hair while she tried to get her thoughts in order.

Why did that woman caught a bullet that was aiming for her? Why was she saying her name in her sleep, even though she said she didn't know her? And why was Eli's broken voice affecting her so much?

She had to muster up all her willpower so she wouldn't embrace her when she heard her feeble voice, restraining herself from letting her fingers dance over her cheek to...

"Toujou-san? Could you please explain me what you are doing on the floor in front of this door?"

Feeling caught the purple haired woman looked up into observing brown eyes from a certain bluenette. To others her bodyguard appeared short-tempered and aggressive, but Nozomi knew it was only because of her protective instinct that Umi would flip out on a regular basis.

"Well I'm just thinking about... things."

That was the best the purple haired woman could muster up in this moment and it was obvious that her bodyguard didn't like her answer; even if she was her employee it didn't detain Umi from tapping her foot angrily on the ground with a menacing look in her eyes.

Despite her behaviour the bluenette offered her a hand to help the purple haired woman with getting up, which she gladly accepted.

As soon as she was standing up, Nozomi got pulled down the corridor from her bodyguard and only when they were all the way down back at the stairs she let go of her and turned around to look her in the eyes.

"So, when you are thinking about things, do you mean you are thinking about that **'accident'** in the car where that stupid woman suddenly touched you?"

The bluenette demanded to know with hands on her hips and Nozomi couldn't prevent a slight blush creeping on her face, at which her counterparts eyes twitched dangerously.

"You can't be serious, Nozomi! That woman saved your life, yes, but we don't know what the hell she is up to! Maybe it is all part of a stupid plan and she got shot on purpose to gain your trust and right when we turn our back to her she...!"

Umi talked insistenly to her, her voice nearly cracking when suddenly Kotori called for them at the beginning of the stairs, saving the purple haired woman from her lecture.

She knew that Umi just wanted to protect her, but somehow she knew that the blonde woman really didn't mean to harm her and that her appearance will play a huge role in the future. Maybe it was stupid of her to think like that, but if the blonde truly were to kill her she would gladly take her bullet.

"You called for us, Kotori-chan?"

When she arrived at the bottom of the stairs she could see two strangers standing beside her maid, one smaller girl with long black hair and a redhead who played with one of her strands.

"Uhm and you are...?"

She asked them, although her question was more directed at her maid, since Kotori wasn't someone who would let anyone in her home. Behind her she could already feel the presence of her bodyguard who stood a few steps above her in a tense stance.

"The slightly smaller woman is Yazawa-san and the other woman is called Nishikino-san; they are both friends of that woman you just escorted upstairs, I think she was called Eli?"

Kotori answered her while the two women bowed slightly before her.

"Thank you for taking her home, Eli has the ability to attract trouble like no-one else so I'm glad that she seems to be alright. On the phone you mentioned something about her being shot?"

The redhead asked her with a rather thin voice and Nozomi couldn't help but wonder why she sounded so angry.

"Yeah, there was a little accident in a shop nearby but well... I will led you two upstairs to her and we can talk about that when we are there. Kotori, please be so kind and fetch 'that' bag from the bathroom, alright?"

Nozomi gently spoke, her maid already turning on her heel before she even ended her sentence, so she motioned for the two girls to follow her. Turning around Nozomi could see Umi's judging gaze, which she interrupted through slightly nudging her with her shoulder when she walked past her. It was alright if Umi was careful but there was no need to unsettle the friends of her savior.

Back in the room the blonde was still sitting at the same spot where the purple haired woman had left her; sitting at the edge of the bed and looking totally distressed, but her face graced a small smile when she saw the two women behind her.

Without saying a word the woman called Nishikino-san rushed past Nozomi, moved on top of the bed and positioned herself behind Eli. The sound of ripping cloth echoed through the room before she could see the redheads hands carefully moving over the blondes back, pulling her hands back when the woman whimpered.

Nozomi could see that her hands were red from the blood soaked sweater and she had to pull herself together to not feel guilty and emotional all over again.

"She got shot you say? How?"

The redheads cold voice made her shudder, how was it possible that she was talking about such matter so... nonchalantly?

Pulling herself together Nozomi moved closer to the pair on the bed, walking behind them so she could also catch a quick glance of her saviours wound.

"Well, I have to say that this is entirely my fault to be honest. Me and my companions were sitting in a shop for a nice break, when suddenly a car passed and someone shot at me; luckily for me Eli jumped in front of me, saving my life and... wait, what's that next to the bullet hole?"

The purple haired woman furrowed her brows together in confusion, eyeing the long and recently stitched cut suspiciously. The blood had just dried which meant that the cut was still fresh, but why would Eli...?

"It's my fault." A weak voice interrupted her train of thoughts, her eyes darting to the black haired woman who still stood near Umi. When the woman looked back at her she could see eyes full of guilt.

"We went to a club together yesterday and normally I wouldn't do such a thing in public but I guess I got a little bit too intoxicated and touched Maki in some more... private places in front of all these people; some guys didn't took it well when we turned them down and they ambushed us outside."

The small woman continued, fidgeting in her place and looking apologetically in her direction.

"Uhm okay? But who do you mean with Maki?" Tilting her head Nozomi tried to understand what she just heard but couldn't quite comprehend why exactly touching someone would lead to something like 'that'.

"B-Baka! Don't go around telling strangers about us!" Nishikono-san's flustered voice attracted her attention and when she saw her slight blush it finally clicked inside her head.

"Oh..." The purple haired woman murmured, her eyes interlocking with her bodyguards for a second before she motioned for Umi to come closer.

"Dont worry, we won't judge you alright? Seems like Eli really is someone who attracts bad luck but I'm eternally grateful for her help, which is why I see it as my duty to patch her up."

Nozomi assured them, giving both of them a small smile before Kotori came back with a small case pulling along.

She handed the case over to Umi, who opened it up right beside the bed, spreading its content on the sheets. Bandages, scalpel, a swab, disinfectants... Because of her 'disagreements' with the Yakuza Nozomi had learned to keep a expanded arsenal of medical equipment.

Honestly, it was something that she wasn't proud of but right now it showed her how inevitable such equipment was. She couldn't quite understand why Eli didn't want to go to a hospital but since she owed her something she wouldn't question her choice further.

"Amazing, seems like you have everything I will need to... oh wait a second, I need some alcohol, do you have something around? Vodka maybe?"

Nishikino-san, or Maki-san since she knew her name, asked her while she was cutting through the fabric of Eli's top to remove it. That question dumbfounded her but when the redhead saw her puzzled look she quickly explained herself.

"Well since we have nothing to relieve the pain in any other way we will need something for her, or do you prefer hearing her scream for the whole 'surgery'? I mean, she will scream anyway but..."

"No no no, I understand! Kotori-chan, can you please look downstairs in the kitchen? I think there was a bottle left in one of the cupboards."

Nozomi ordered her maid before she opened a drawer and pulled out another blanket, moving back to the blonde sitting on the bed to give it to her. It seemed like Maki was oblivious to it but she couldn't endure Eli's weak attempts to cover her bare chest any longer.

"Are you sure that you can handle this?"

She asked Maki, still unsure if it wasn't for the best to drive to the hospital with her savior.

"Yeah, I may not look like it but I worked in a hospital, only for a few months though. I did a couple of surgeries, obviously under way better circumstances but I think I can somehow pull it off."

Her counterpart answered her determined and before Nozomi was able to ask her another question Kotori was already back with a half-full bottle of vodka, which Maki impatiently snatched out of her hands before she opened and offered it to Eli.

Without further ado the blonde took large sips of the clear liquid, leaving Nozomi in a state of shock since the woman didn't look like a heavy drinker at all; it shocked her that someone like her was even able to drink something gross like that without batting an eye.

"Okay, that's enough. Lay down on your stomach and grip tightly into the sheets alright? C'mon Nico, move over here so that..."

The redhead adressed the other woman but before Nozomi could say anything her bodyguard stepped in.

"If it's alright with you I will help you; I may not have experience with surgery but I patched up quite a few of my associates."

The bluenettes cold voice didn't leave any room for objections and without waiting for an answer she moved beside Maki, prepared with disinfectant in her hands.

Nozomi could see that the two women exchanged a quick glance before the redhead began to dab the wound with a piece of cloth so that Umi could disinfect the surface.

She could hear the woman taking a deep breath when she picked up one of the scalpels before she carefully pushed it into the small bullet hole.

"Since we don't know how far in the bullet got I have to push it in until I feel something, I'm sorry Eli but please bear with me alright?"

Maki whispered through gritted teeth, concentrated on the scalpel penetrating her friends flesh.

Until now the blonde was deadly silent, only a growl now and then left her while she clawed into the sheets. The tool was pushed deeper and deeper into the wound when a sudden yank rippled through Eli's body.

"Looks like it isn't too deeply stuck... I will try to lever the bullet out, let's just hope I can get it out in one piece."

To Nozomi it seemed like the redhead was talking to herself so she didn't bother to answer her. She could see that the woman tried to push the bullet out with the scalpel but right when it seemed like she was able to push it up the blonde couldn't control herself anymore.

The russian's screams of agony went right through the purple haired woman who stood helpless beside the bed, her mind racing in complete desperation to find a way to somehow help her.

Kneeling beside the bed she took one of Eli's desperatly in the bedsheets clawing hands into her own and quietly talked at her.

"Look at me Eli, alright? You are almost there, scream all you want or claw into my arms, but promise me to keep it up!"

The blonde's unfocused gaze was aimed at her and Nozomi could swear that she nodded at her, so she gave her a small smile while she observed Maki at work.

Maki was still trying to push the bullet out, her attempts eliciting way more earpiercing screams with each try before she finally got a grip of the bullet and pushed it slowly out of the wound.

For Nozomi it felt like Eli tried to break her hands, but she was far too amazed by the young womans skills to even bother about her pain; luckily the bullet was still in one piece so after Umi had disinfected the wound a second time the redhead made quick work of it, closing the gaping wound quickly with experienced stitches.

After that they disinfected it again before Maki finally put down her bloodstained hands while the bluenette put a bandage on.

Looking down at Eli Nozomi could still feel her squeezing her hands slightly which meant that she didn't have passed out in the whole procedure at all; the purple haired woman didn't dare to let her hand go but Umi didn't give her much of a choice.

"I think it would be for the best if we sit down together and discuss what we will do with her... Let's go down into the living room so that she can rest up."

Umi mentioned, standing up from her sitting position on the bed and moving to the door without waiting for an answer.

Maki followed her so Nozomi obediently also stood up from the bed and followed them, but she stopped when she saw that Yazawa-san hadn't move one single inch.

"Yazawa-san, are you coming?"

Nozomi asked, not sure if the woman maybe didn't got their conversation from before.

"If it's alright with you I would like to keep an eye on Eli, alright? Maki will handle it."

The raven haired girl answered at which Nozomi understandingly nodded. Closing the door behind them she hurried to catch up with the other women who were already out of sight.

* * *

The only reasonable thought that Eli could grasp right now was a promise to herself that she would never again get shot in her whole life.

Getting a knife pulled out of a wound was one thing, one that she would rather pass, but getting a bullet removed was something that she never wanted to experience again.

Trying to catch her breath she barely noticed that Nozomi stood up and left the room together with Maki and Umi; through her fogged mind she could still figure out the steps from her partner getting closer to her bed.

"So?"

Just one single word left Nico's lips and despite the fact that this word was quite meaningless, the russian couldn't ignore how pissed she sounded.

In order to do damage control Eli decided to act naive; maybe it would mysteriously calm the raven haired woman down.

"...What do you mean? I tried to get closer to the target and look, we even got into her home. Quite smart of me, don't you think?"

The russian murmured while she tried to ignore the pulsative feeling of her wound. Maybe she should ask Nico to hand her over the bottle so she could gulp down the rest of it, hopefully it would somehow numb her.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Don't tell me getting shot was part of your little plan Eli. What the heck did you even think when you jumpend in front of her?! We are doing this job for four years now and no one of us **ever** got shot, but then it happens, and not because you were trying to protect Maki or me, but rather because of a total stranger who we planned to kill?!"

Nico hissed, her voice laced with a hostility that the russian had never heard before. She turned her head to look up to her partner who was now sitting on the edge of the bed and despite her expectation her counterparts red eyes were full of worry and confusion.

"It's not like I planned it, you know?! I can't even...!

She tried to explain but Eli wasn't even sure how she should explain something that she couldn't understand herself. Since the accident her mind was a total mess and it was impossible for her to get her thoughts in a reasonable order, or at least in something that she could comprehend.

"What do you mean 'You can't even'? Don't tell me you did that without considering the consequences or without having a plan back in your mind, baka. Now tell me what happend back in that shop."

The raven haired woman said, luckily for the blonde she didn't sound hostile anymore and she hoped that it would stay that way.

"I was observing this villa the whole morning but since nothing happened I decided to take a break in a nearby shop I saw on my way. By chance Nozomi and her bodyguards also visited the shop and I thought it seemed like a good opportunity to maybe find something out but well..."

The russian's mind drifted back to a few seconds before the attempt to assassinate her target, right when the bluenette bodyguard had just passed her spot and she saw the red dot on the purple haired womans clothes.

She remained silent, not sure if Nico could even understand her when she told her that she jumped in front of her out of pure impulse without a single thought behind it, but when she looked up into her partners red eyes she knew she couldn't get away from this situation in any other way.

Turning her head away she took a deep breath, preparing herself for Nico's outburst that surely was to happen after her confession.

"I saw this stupid red dot on her clothes, you know? And even now when I just think about it my heart still aches and... I don't know, my body just moved on its own, before I could even realize it I had already jumped in front of her, shielding her with my own body."

Eli quietly confessed, waiting for her partner's response.

"Do you even know how crazy that sounds, Eli? Honestly, you didn't quite strike me as someone who would put their life on the line for someone she doesn't even know."

Nico remarked astonished, to her surprise she didn't flip out like the blonde thought.

"You know, if it makes you feel any better, I didn't think I would do something like this too."

The russian chuckled, somehow this whole conversation felt so unreal that she couldn't help herself.

She could hear the annoyed growl from the raven haired woman, so she turned back to her and gave her an apologetically look since she didn't know what to say anymore. Her counterpart massaged her temples before she answered her quite annoyed.

"Okay well, let's leave it at that. Maybe you got involved in something which luckily plays right into our hands. You could rest for a few days and then, in the middle of the night when no one expects a goddamn thing, you can..."

"I can't, Nico."

Her voice was far away from sounding broken or weak, it was calm and determined and for the first time during this whole crazy day Eli knew that right now she was thinking clear.

"Why? We got a job and it is our goddamn duty to do as we are told."

"That may be true, but I don't think our client is telling the truth. Look at her Nico, if she would be one of those cold-blooded people who treat their people like they were some cattle she would have left me back there in this shop."

"Maybe she didn't feel like cleaning up after herself today?"

"Look, when we had this task back in Nagasaki where Maki..."

Eli argued, trying to make her point clear. She knew she wasn't playing fair, mentioning their first encounter with their red haired partner nearly three years ago but if she wouldn't get straight to the point they would sit here for hours arguing to no end.

Her little 'poke' worked better than she had hoped because she saw how her counterparts red eyes visibly darkened, the heavy tension of the room pressing down on her shoulders.

It amazed her over and over again how protective her friend would get as soon as her girlfriend was somehow involved.

"Don't you dare to compare this bullshit with the situation back then."

Nico threatened her, eyes fixated on her as if she wanted to jump at her as soon as she dared to say anything else but Eli didn't need to push her any further since she had her right where she wanted.

"I won't, so please trust me this time. I'm confused myself Nico, but there is one thing I'm certain of right now: That I'm already trusting her."

As soon as this last sentence left her lips their eyes locked, a silent battle where neither of them beckoned down. They stared at each other for roughly a minute before the raven haired woman finally closed her eyes in defeat.

"Alright, you will get your chance. But if you can't find any evidence that she isn't some sly bitch we will finish this job without hesitation."

The smaller woman yielded to her request.

Nodding satisfied Eli was already thinking about a way to prove to her partner that Nozomi wasn't someone they needed to kill when she remembered a situation from when they arrived at the villa.

'That maid, Kotori, was talking about someone. What did she say again? C'mon Eli, try to remember it! She was mad because she was waiting for them and... right! She said something about someone called Ronin!'

"Nico, please do me a favour and go back to Tsubasa tonight, ask her if she maybe knows someone who is called 'Ronin'."

The russian pleaded the smaller woman.

"Ronin? Sure, I can ask Tsubasa, but why?"

"I'm not sure myself but maybe this information will help us with..."

As soon as she heard someone turning the door handle she stopped, not wanting to blow her cover.

Nozomi, Umi and Maki shuffled back into the room and while Umi's face was still neutral the other two were looking satisfied at the bedridden blonde.

"So we decided it would be better if you rest here for a few days, since Toujou-san has obviously better medical treatment at hand than me but..."

The redhead explained before she was cut of by the cold voice of a certain bluenette.

"You have to stay in bed. And if I mean in bed I mean you are not allowed to even leave this room."

Eli hated to admit it, but her piercing gaze sent a chill down her spine every single time, something that so far only Nico was capable of. She knew that it would piss off Umi, however she helplessly looked up into shining green eyes and was rewared with a genuine smile from the purple haired woman.

Looking weak and helpless has always been one of Nico's benefits but it seems like she was also able to play this role very well, Eli thought to herself.

Their little interaction didn't go by unnoticed by the bluenette, who was taking a deep breath to put the russian in her place but luckily Nozomi got ahead of her.

"Don't worry Eli, Kotori and me will look after you and help you with anything you need, alright? Your friends can visit you if you want and Umi can change your bandages."

Her soothing voice assured her, making the blonde smile thankfully though it didn't last long.

"I thought we agreed that Kotori and me will look after her, Toujou-sama."

Umi uttered angrily and Eli was surprised when the woman even moved past Maki to stand directly in front of Nozomi, looking her straight in the eye.

The blonde still couldn't figure out what kind of relationship both of them had because for a simple working relationship Umi cared way too much about the other woman and challenged her decisions way too often.

'I really need to keep a close eye on them... as long as Umi doesn't trust me or stops seeing me as a threat I don't think she will leave me alone with Nozomi... and I really need to find out why someone wants to see her dead.'

Eli thought while she was looking back and forth between them.

She didn't thought it was possible but the purple haired womans soft gaze hardened, even turned into a menacing stare and it was the first time that she saw the bluenette's cold gaze crumble, her whole body tensing up.

'Yikes... I'm glad that I'm not the one she's looking at right now.'

"I made my decision, Umi. Now will you be so kind and lead our new friends downstairs to the door? I think Eli needs some rest and Kotori can help you with treating your wound."

Her voice left no room for objections and to the russians surprise her bodyguard bowed before her and walked straight to the door, motioning her friends to follow her.

Maki and Nico had also observed the argument with tension and seemed relieved that both of them didn't shred each other into pieces.

"We will come back tomorrow so be sure to rest up Eli, alright? With Toujou-san and Sonoda-san around you will be in good hands."

Maki said and both of them waved her goodbye before they followed Umi, leaving her alone with the purple haired woman.

Eli could hear her taking a deep breath before she sat down on the edge of the bed, looking down to the blonde hidden under the covers.

"I'm sorry Eli, Umi is very serious about her job and sometimes she forgets her position. Don't be mad at her, she is a kind and gentle person if you get to know her."

Nozomi apologized and with one simple look Eli could tell that the whole day had also taken its toll on her; her smile appeared tired and her green eyes had lost some of their shine.

"Oh don't worry, I think in her position I would be careful too."

The russian tried to calm her down, studying her face while she recalled the whole day in the back of her mind.

Fumbling with the covers she stretched out her hand, laying it on top of Nozomi's which was resting at the edge of the bed.

"To be honest I can perfectly understand why she is so protective of you."

Eli admitted, turning her head away so that her counterpart couldn't see the creeping blush on her face. She could still feel her questioning gaze on her back but there was no way she would turn back in such an awkward situation.

To her surprise she could feel that she was giving her hand a gentle squeeze, brushing her thumb over the back of her hand for a few times, which sent despite the fact that Eli tried to ignore it, goosebumps over her whole body before Nozomi finally stood up.

"I will go to the kitchen and look for something to eat for you since you must be starving right now. If you want you can sleep a little bit, I will wake you up when I get back."

The purple haired woman explained, her voice sounding totally fine at which Eli was relieved since she didn't know how she thought about her being all touchy-feely with her.

As soon as she heard the sound of a shutting door the blonde turned back, eyeing the now closed door rather distressed.

The whole day had been rather confusing and surprising so far, but there was one thing that she could no longer deny herself; she was falling for the mysterious green eyed beauty and she was falling **hard**.

"Now I know how Nico felt back then, fuck..."

Muttering angrily to herself Eli buried her face in a pillow, trying to calm down a little bit before her goddess would come back.


End file.
